Fargo Force Clinch Playoffs with Blowout Win

Fargo beats Sioux City 6-1 Tuesday night

FARGO, N.D. (Fargo Force) — Fargo took on the visiting Sioux City Musketeers Tuesday night at Scheels Arena, sitting just one point away from clinching a spot in the 2017 playoffs.

Sioux City came into Scheels Arena riding a seven-game winning streak and winning nine of their last ten games. Jack Adams would open the scoring for the Force, scoring his 35th goal of the season, setting a new Force record for goals in a single season and putting Fargo on top 1-0. Shane McMahan would keep the offense rolling, beating Sioux City goalie Todd Scott on a shorthanded breakaway to put Fargo on top 2-0. Hank Crone would add another late goal, sending the Force into the first intermission on top 3-0.

Fargo wasted no time in the second period as Kevin O’Neil snapped a shot past Todd Scott to extend the Force lead to 4-0. After some solid pressure by Sioux City, the Musketeers finally got on the board as J.C. MacLean snuck a shot over the shoulder of Matt Murray to make the score 4-1. Each team would have chances throughout the remainder of the period, but neither team was able to find the back of the net, giving Fargo the 4-1 lead heading in to the third period.

The goalies would keep both teams off the score sheet through the early stages of the third period. Brian Hurley would find the back of the net halfway through the period, extending Fargo’s lead to 5-1. Another late goal scored by Jacob Paganelli would secure the win by the final score of 6-1.

With Fargo’s win tonight, the Force have clinched a spot in the Clark Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2012-13. Force forward Shane McMahan, who is in his third season in Fargo, knows how special this opportunity is.

“It’s an amazing feeling and it honestly hasn’t set in yet,” McMahan said. “To beat a very skilled team like that is a great feeling.”

Head coach Cary Eades made it the team’s number one goal from the first day of the season to make the playoffs, and is proud of the way his team stuck up for each other tonight, getting a huge win over the number one team in the league.

“We are really excited about accomplishing that tonight,” Eades said. “There’s more ahead, but we are going to enjoy this for 24 hours. But more importantly it was a really solid win and a solid response to a lot of different things that happened out there tonight.”

Fargo will head to Waterloo for the final two games of the regular season before heading into the playoffs.

With being unable to secure a top seed in the playoffs, Fargo will head on the road for game 1 and 2 against either the Waterloo Black Hawks or the Sioux City Musketeers. Game 3 and if necessary game 4 would be at Scheels Arena on Tuesday, April 18 and Wednesday April 19 respectively. Both games would be at 7:05pm.

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